Wayne Schimmelbusch

Wayne Schimmelbusch (born 19 January 1953) is a former Australian Rules Footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL).

A courageous wingman and inspirational speedster who seemingly never knew when to give up, Schimmelbusch played in 306 games, including 29 finals games, for the North Melbourne Football Club. He was recruited in 1973 from the Brunswick Football Club (formerly of the VFA) where he won the 'Field Trophy', the VFA second division's best and fairest, in 1972. Legendary coach Ron Barassi once dropped Schimmelbusch as a spur for him to improve, and he was not dropped from of the senior side again until his forced retirement in 1987, due to a shocking knee injury sustained during a match against the Sydney Swans. Until that moment, Schimmelbusch looked likely to play a few more seasons, which may have seen him break the 350 game mark.

Given the opportunity to coach North Melbourne Football Club in 1990, Wayne Schimmelbusch inherited a team of experienced players interspersed with some young, up-and-coming future champions. However, the side's performances did not improve under his leadership and turmoil began to brew at the club. The 1993 pre-season for North Melbourne was poor and many players were rumoured to be unimpressed with the club's leadership and lack of professional facilities that could potentially improve matters. The apparent lack of application by the players and their poor fitness was evident in the club's pre-season cup match against the recently formed Adelaide Football Club at Football Park, Adelaide, where the 'Crows' thrashed the North Melbourne Football Club by over 100 points. Angry members and supporters demanded answers and finally Schimmelbusch was replaced by Denis Pagan (ex-North under-19 coach and Essendon reserves coach) and 21 year old Wayne Carey was appointed Captain, replacing Matthew Larkin. From that point, the side gradually improved enough to make the finals at season's end and just three years later achieved it's third premiership, and first under Pagan, in 1996.

Wayne Schimmelbusch's brother Daryl also played for North Melbourne Football Club but could not match the brilliance of his brother Wayne. On a curious and humorous note, during the 1970's at Arden Street, the Public address system use to play a song called "The Ballad of Wayne Schimmelbusch" during half-time break. A legend was born, however the song and artist is still unknown.

In 1997 Schimmelbusch was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Career highlights

Playing career:
* North Melbourne 1973-1987 (Games: 306 Goals: 354)

Player honors:
* North Melbourne captain 1979-1987
* North Melbourne club leading goalkicker 1976
* North Melbourne premierships 1975, 1977
* North Melbourne Team of the Century
* Victorian representative (7 games, 12 goals)

Coaching record:
* North Melbourne 1990-1992 (66 games, 31 wins, 35 losses).

References

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* [http://prod.www.afl.cfour.com.au/Season2007/Awards/HallofFame/Players/tabid/856/Default.aspx AFL: Hall of Fame]